Anger Is a Gift: A Novel (Hardcover)

Staff Reviews

Moss sees his school crumbling around him. He and his friends start to question why moneyis being spent on an increased police presence and metal detectors when they are forced to read xeroxed textbooks because there aren't enough to go around. My first contender for book of the year! The way Oshiro can switch between the horrors of police brutality to the sheer joy and excitement of a first crush is incredible.

— John

Moss sees his school crumbling around him. He and his friends start to question why moneyis being spent on an increased police presence and metal detectors when they are forced to read xeroxed textbooks because there aren't enough to go around. My first contender for book of the year! The way Oshiro can switch between the horrors of police brutality to the sheer joy and excitement of a first crush is incredible. - John

But sometimes Moss still wishes he could be someone else—someone without panic attacks, someone whose father was still alive, someone who hadn’t become a rallying point for a community because of one horrible night.

And most of all, he wishes he didn’t feel so stuck.

Moss can’t even escape at school—he and his friends are subject to the lack of funds and crumbling infrastructure at West Oakland High, as well as constant intimidation by the resource officer stationed in their halls. That was even before the new regulations—it seems sometimes that the students are treated more like criminals.

Something will have to change—but who will listen to a group of teens?

When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes again, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.

About the Author

Mark Oshiro is the Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe (Mark Reads and Mark Watches), where he analyzes book and TV series. He was the nonfiction editor of Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and the co-editor of Speculative Fiction 2015, and is the President of the Con or Bust Board of Directors. When not writing/recording reviews or editing, Oshiro engages in social activism online and offline. Anger is a Gift is his debut YA contemporary fiction novel.

Praise For…

"Anger is a Gift is an explosion of fury and revolution. Mark Oshiro's beautiful and brutal debut proves that not only can anyone be a hero, but great change comes when the heroes work together." —Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End"Raw, unflinching, and full of heart. Anger is a Gift is a masterpiece." —Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before I Let Go“This debut novel provides a riveting, devastatingly realistic portrayal of the criminalization of marginalized groups and an unwavering examination of the lasting impact of bigotry. His teenage characters have authentic intersectional depth and are developed beyond the various ways society labels them: black, Latinx, disabled, Muslim, asexual, nonbinary, gay, lesbian…the narrative is compelling, providing a new and noteworthy account that continues the conversation and depiction of society's opposition to otherness. This is not to be missed and should be placed in a prominent position in every library serving teens.”— Voya, Jewel Davis.